Search form

You are here

Court Says “Au Revoir, Foie Gras!”

Nearly a decade ago the State of California took a bold stand to ban the production and sale of foie gras, a luxury food item produced by shoving pipes down birds’ throats several times a day to force-feed them until their livers become fatty and diseased.

Major retailers including Safeway, Target and Costco refuse to sell foie gras and, according to one poll, nearly three-quarters of Americans want to see it banned nationwide. But as the implementation date of the California ban neared, it was not surprising that some groups rose up to challenge the law, taking their case all the way to federal court.

Thankfully, this week we were greeted with the news that theFederal Appeals Court decided unanimously to uphold the lower court’s support of the foie gras ban. The three- judge panel recognized that California’s ban was not unconstitutional, as foie gras producers claim. This decision is a big win for the victimized birds and for animal advocates.

After the ruling, foie gras producers defiantly insisted that “nobody is being harmed by foie gras” and announced they will continue their fight to end the ban. But for the time being, California’s ban on foie gras remains happily and firmly in place.